Numbers

There are five sets of numbers: generic, human, multiplicative, locative, and abstract. The five sets of numbers one through ten are listed below. “all” and “many” are listed at the end since they are used much as the numbers are and have the same five sets of forms.

The Five Classes

The generic series, illustrated by (1), is used for counting most physical objects. It is also this series that is used for counting in the abstract, e.g. when reciting the numbers, and for telephone numbers, addresses, and so forth.

The human series is used for counting human beings (2). As is generally the case in Carrier, the grammatical category of human beings includes dogs (3) as well as such other animals as the speaker considers sufficiently human-like.

The multiplicative series often refers to numbers of times, as in (4). However, it is also used with some units of measurement, including periods of time such as weeks (5).

The locative series is used for counting sets of discrete areas. Appropriate uses of the locative forms are illustrated in (6) and (7), where what is counted are a number of discrete areas.

The abstract series is used for counting things that have no physical form, such as kinds and ideas, as in (8).

The decades are formed by combining whuniz̲yai “ten” with the multiplicative form of one of the smaller numbers. For example, twenty is nat whuniz̲yai “twice ten”. Hundreds are formed on the same principle. For example, two hundred is nat whuniz̲yat whuniz̲yai. More complex numbers are formed using 'on'at “plus”. For example, 321 is tat whuniz̲yat whuniz̲yai 'on'at nat whuniz̲yai 'on'at 'ilho “300 plus 20 plus 1”.

The non-generic forms are combined to form larger numbers in the same way as the generic numbers, using multiplicative forms followed by whuniz̲yai to form the decades and hundreds, and 'on'at to combine the several powers of ten. However, only the last component takes on the distinctive form of the non-generic series; even when they form part of a complex non-generic number, the decades and hundreds are always in the generic form. For example, the human form of 34 is tat whuniz̲yai 'on'at dine, literally “30 plus 4”. dine is the human form of four, but tat whuniz̲yai is the generic form.

The Ordinal Numbers

Numbers like “second”, “third”, and “fourth” are made by combining bulh or whulh with the appropriate cardinal number. For example, “the second book” is bulh nanki dustl'us and “the third woman” is bulh tane ts'eke. whulh is used instead of bulh if the item counted is areal. For example, “the fifth day” is whulh kwulat dzin, and the third inning in baseball is whulhtat. There are therefore two different classifications in use at the same time: the choice of the number itself is governed by the five class system for numbers while the choice between bulh and whulh is governed by the areal/non-areal distinction.

First and Last

What we have just said holds true only of the numbers from two upward: “first” is not based on “one”. There is, instead, a separate set of words meaning “first”, as well as a set of words for “last”.

The “first” set all have less frequent variants with t̲s̲o instead of choo: 'udet̲s̲o, 'udet̲s̲o-un, 'udet̲s̲o-ne, and 'udet̲s̲o-i

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